Openmoko distributions are designed to run on various mobile devices, with the primary aim of Openmoko Inc.'s Neo 1973 and Neo FreeRunner phones. They are similar to Linux distributions; complete operating systems with user applications. You can install any of them on your phone or even have a multiboot system with two distributions installed.

While the Openmoko distributions will run on other mobile devices too, some other software distributions will also run on the Openmoko Inc. phones (see below).

About distributions

To be technically precise, 2007.2, 2008.8, FSO and SHR of these are not directly independent distributions, but different 'release targets'. They are built out of different branches of the OpenEmbedded metadistribution source tree, e.g. 2007.2 and 2008.8 are to each other like Ubuntu Gutsy is to Kubuntu Hardy. A roadmap showing the number of remaining active tickets (in other words, bugs) is available on the bug tracking system (also accessible with the DOCS link at the top of every page).

One should only use feeds from packages of the same source-branch, else 'stuff will break', similar to like using .debs from Hardy on a Gutsy base system. Also note that there is NO supported upgrade path between these at the moment, thus updating by changing the feeds will most likely end in broken packages or even a unbootable system. Thus please always use dfu-util to switch between the different 'distributions' for now or install them in a dual-boot setup (e.g. via sdcard or NFS).

Openmoko Inc. driven release targets

Om 2008.8 (ASU, April/August Software Update)

Om 2008.8 has been started to integrate the Qtopia stack - on X11 - with a new set of graphically pleasing applications based on the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries. ASU is the internal name and is known as Om 2008.8 upon its release on August 8, 2008. Qtopia is a more mature product than the GNOME Mobile stack and you can expect all the standard feature phone applications to work in a solid way. It uses the Qtopia phone server. Since - contrary to standard Qtopia - it does not directly use the framebuffer, non-Qt applications can safely share the screen with Qt applications.

Om 2007.2 (GTK)

Om 2007.2 is for people who are familiar with the GNOME Mobile initiative and who want to write applications that run on multiple devices running (parts of) GNOME Mobile. This includes Maemo, which runs on the Nokia Internet Tablets. The strength of the GTK+ stack is a UI and programming environment similar to what you run on your Linux desktop, if you’re into GNOME. The GTK+ has PIM applications based on the Evolution Data Server and runs the gsmd phone server. Although you can use them, the applications are still pretty rough und unfinished. Some people have problems with the stability of the phone server.

This is the base-system which is installed on FreeRunner when it leaves the factory.

2007.2 development driven by openmoko inc. has basically stopped and resources are allocated in favor of 2008.8, while the community currently does the effort to 'rescue' the 2007.2 telephony apps and pull them to the future middleware from FSO (see SHR).
thus patches are still welcome, especially if they help development of SHR.

FSO - freesmartphone.org

FSO has been started to overcome the deficiencies both of the 2007.2 and the 2008.8 stack, namely to come up with an extensible framework that gives developers the infrastructure they need to create solid and exciting software products based on the Openmoko platform. An infrastructure that supports competing UIs while we can collaborate on developing services, making the framework strong . Here, the focus is on stable highlevel services that you can access from whatever language or UI that supports dbus. People report that despite its infancy, e.g. the phone server part in FSO is already more solid than anywhere else.

It is not really intended as future release-target, but used as a 'vessel' or 'container' for the development and testing of the new, future middleware.

The applications installed are intended as test-tools for the new middleware and not as fully featured, end user oriented applications. (even if it looks that way sometimes)

In the words of Mickey, project manager:

"FSO is only a distro because "we can" (thanks to OpenEmbedded). Zhone is an independent UI application based on the FSO framework to facilitate testing. If you want to build own UIs or custom applications on the forthcoming Openmoko dbus service framework, then the FSO-image is a good starting point.

Openmoko Community driven release targets

SHR - Stable Hybrid Release

Stable Hybrid Release is a combination of the middleware from FSO, some of the 2007.2 GTK software (telephony-ui, pim), and Om2008.8 that provides all of the functionality of the 2007.2 software, but with the stability of the FSO.

Qtopia

Debian

It’s not really a distribution in the Openmoko sense of the word, but rather a different underlying system for Openmoko distributions. At the moment, we ship the software from the FSO stack, but hopefully we’ll also have, for example, the Stable Hybrid Release software in our archive.

So for now, Debian is a different way of installing FSO, which takes more space and provides more programs :-)

Openmoko distributions are designed to run on various mobile devices, with the primary aim of Openmoko Inc.'s Neo 1973 and Neo FreeRunner phones. They are similar to Linux distributions; complete operating systems with user applications. You can install any of them on your phone or even have a multiboot system with two distributions installed.

While the Openmoko distributions will run on other mobile devices too, some other software distributions will also run on the Openmoko Inc. phones (see below).

About distributions

To be technically precise, 2007.2, 2008.8, FSO and SHR of these are not directly independent distributions, but different 'release targets'. They are built out of different branches of the OpenEmbedded metadistribution source tree, e.g. 2007.2 and 2008.8 are to each other like Ubuntu Gutsy is to Kubuntu Hardy. A roadmap showing the number of remaining active tickets (in other words, bugs) is available on the bug tracking system (also accessible with the DOCS link at the top of every page).

One should only use feeds from packages of the same source-branch, else 'stuff will break', similar to like using .debs from Hardy on a Gutsy base system. Also note that there is NO supported upgrade path between these at the moment, thus updating by changing the feeds will most likely end in broken packages or even a unbootable system. Thus please always use dfu-util to switch between the different 'distributions' for now or install them in a dual-boot setup (e.g. via sdcard or NFS).

Openmoko Inc. driven release targets

Om 2008.8 (ASU, April/August Software Update)

Om 2008.8 has been started to integrate the Qtopia stack - on X11 - with a new set of graphically pleasing applications based on the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries. ASU is the internal name and is known as Om 2008.8 upon its release on August 8, 2008. Qtopia is a more mature product than the GNOME Mobile stack and you can expect all the standard feature phone applications to work in a solid way. It uses the Qtopia phone server. Since - contrary to standard Qtopia - it does not directly use the framebuffer, non-Qt applications can safely share the screen with Qt applications.

Om 2007.2 (GTK)

Om 2007.2 is for people who are familiar with the GNOME Mobile initiative and who want to write applications that run on multiple devices running (parts of) GNOME Mobile. This includes Maemo, which runs on the Nokia Internet Tablets. The strength of the GTK+ stack is a UI and programming environment similar to what you run on your Linux desktop, if you’re into GNOME. The GTK+ has PIM applications based on the Evolution Data Server and runs the gsmd phone server. Although you can use them, the applications are still pretty rough und unfinished. Some people have problems with the stability of the phone server.

This is the base-system which is installed on FreeRunner when it leaves the factory.

2007.2 development driven by openmoko inc. has basically stopped and resources are allocated in favor of 2008.8, while the community currently does the effort to 'rescue' the 2007.2 telephony apps and pull them to the future middleware from FSO (see SHR).
thus patches are still welcome, especially if they help development of SHR.

FSO - freesmartphone.org

FSO has been started to overcome the deficiencies both of the 2007.2 and the 2008.8 stack, namely to come up with an extensible framework that gives developers the infrastructure they need to create solid and exciting software products based on the Openmoko platform. An infrastructure that supports competing UIs while we can collaborate on developing services, making the framework strong . Here, the focus is on stable highlevel services that you can access from whatever language or UI that supports dbus. People report that despite its infancy, e.g. the phone server part in FSO is already more solid than anywhere else.

It is not really intended as future release-target, but used as a 'vessel' or 'container' for the development and testing of the new, future middleware.

The applications installed are intended as test-tools for the new middleware and not as fully featured, end user oriented applications. (even if it looks that way sometimes)

In the words of Mickey, project manager:

"FSO is only a distro because "we can" (thanks to OpenEmbedded). Zhone is an independent UI application based on the FSO framework to facilitate testing. If you want to build own UIs or custom applications on the forthcoming Openmoko dbus service framework, then the FSO-image is a good starting point.

Openmoko Community driven release targets

SHR - Stable Hybrid Release

Stable Hybrid Release is a combination of the middleware from FSO, some of the 2007.2 GTK software (telephony-ui, pim), and Om2008.8 that provides all of the functionality of the 2007.2 software, but with the stability of the FSO.

Qtopia

Debian

It’s not really a distribution in the Openmoko sense of the word, but rather a different underlying system for Openmoko distributions. At the moment, we ship the software from the FSO stack, but hopefully we’ll also have, for example, the Stable Hybrid Release software in our archive.

So for now, Debian is a different way of installing FSO, which takes more space and provides more programs :-)